What does Collide mean?

Howie Day: Collide Meaning

Tagged: Love [suggest]
Album cover for Collide album cover

Song Released: 2004


Collide Lyrics

The dawn is breaking
A light shining through
You're barely waking
And I'm tangled up in you
Yeah

I'm open, you're closed
Where I follow, you'll go
I worry I won't see your face
Light up again

Even the best fall down sometimes
Even...

  1. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 12th 2011 !⃝

    Call me negative, but I always interpreted this song differently... I always thought they were a couple in the beinning... That they loved each other or thought they did. Then he started to realize how different they were... How many problems they were having. When he says "I finally find you and I collide" I take that to mean, they clash... They are too different. They aren't meant to be... He "gives in to the doubts that fill his mind", in a sense. Its sad.. The realization that theyre wrong for each other... And finally she sees it the same way... She realizes that they aren't meant to be.
    That's just how I view it, but I do tend to see many things in a negative light... I dont think any interpretation is wrong, every person thinks differently...

  2. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 12th 2011 !⃝

    Really feel this song is about a guy and a girl who maybe best friends however there is more feelings beyond friendship. There both unsure what each other feels
    'your barley wakened and im tangled up in you' -this suggests they always argue/fight with each other as they wont admit how they really feel.

    Out of the doubt that fills my mind you somehow find you and i collide- even after the arguing they will always come back to one other in the end.

  3. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 9th 2011 !⃝

    meaning for me of this song is they are click like magnet no matter what fears inside they feel they are enjoying the moments though there are inhibitions and fears but the moment they are together they forgot all fears and worries. because they are collide.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 11th 2011 !⃝

    This song is about a woman who is crazy about a man, and the man who is hesitant/fearful about jumping 100% into the relationship. He realizes, however, that it's not going to be perfect and that out of all this "doubt" he knows deep inside that they have a powerful connection and that their relationship is right.

    The woman involved probably senses his hesitation, so she only goes "where [he'll] follow," as in, she doesn't want to do anything that will make him leave her because she doesn't feel like he'll chase after her. His doubts, quietness, and lack of leadership/confidence in the relationship probably make her insecure. Then, toward the end of the song, he acknowledges that he's realized they belong together and that's where he wants to be by stating, "Don't stop here... I'm close behind."

    That's why the lyric changes to: "Out of that doubts that fill YOUR mind, YOU finally find you and I collide." It seems he finally lets his guards down about the relationship and overcomes his fear because he realizes what a powerful and strong connection they have - a "collision" if you will. And, since he's now sure about pursuing the relationship, her last doubt (that he's not that into her) is relieved. This is why it says, "finally find you and I collide," because she's been waiting for him to be sure about it.

  5. angelcris
    click a star to vote
    Feb 1st 2011 !⃝

    Interpreting the song could be hard. It could have a lot of meaning depending one's perspective. But for me, the song means:

    The dawn is breaking
    A light shining through
    You're barely waking
    And I'm tangled up in you
    Yeah

    The guy is so much in love with the girl that he wants to wake up beside her. Be the first one he can wake up to. He is so tangled with her and loves it. He is into her heart and soul.

    I'm open, you're closed
    Where I follow, you'll go
    I worry I won't see your face
    Light up again

    The guy always shows how much he loves the girl. He has shown it in his actions and words. However, the girl keeps things to herself. He doubts if the girl feels the same way. But he loves her so much that if he will be where the girls wants him to be. He will be what she wants him to be. He is afraid of loosing her and not be able to see her again.

    Even the best fall down sometimes
    Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
    Out of the doubt that fills my mind
    I somehow find
    You and I collide

    The guy has been strong. He describes himself as he is dependent. He doesn't need anyone but then he realizes that by and by, he loves the girl and needs her in every possible way. Even if she is not her type of girl. Maybe quite the opposite but somehow, being with her feels so right. He needs her to make him complete.

    I'm quiet you know
    You make a frist impression
    I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind

    He is just observing her from a distance and he likes what he saw. How she moves, how she interacts with people and everyday, it amazes him how she can bring a smile to her face. However, he is afraid to come near. Afraid to know what's on her mind. Afraid to know what she actually sees in him. It might not be favorable to him.

    Even the best fall down sometimes
    Even the stars refuse to shine
    Out of the back you fall in time
    I somehow find
    You and I collide

    This line now describes the girl. Somehow, someway, she also fell in love with him. That a girl that he has been putting up the pedestal feels the same way. That it really is possible that his feeling is returned and much intensely. And everything fits.

    Even the best fall down sometimes
    Even the wrong words seem to ryhme
    Out of the doubt that fills your mind
    You finally find
    You and I collide

    He admits that the she has doubts if what they if have is real. If they will work out but she wants to give it a try. She puts aside her doubts and love the guy as much as he loves her.

    You finally find
    You and I collide
    You finally find
    You and I collide

    It has been a long journey for them but as time goes by, they found that they fit together. That they may have their difference but their imperfections make them perfect together.

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 8th 2011 !⃝

    My interpretation of the song is heartfelt, after listening to the song repeatedly. In the beginning of my relationship with my boyfriend (approximately 4-6 months) I had written him a heartfelt letter, and his response was to listen to the song collide and that would explain how he felt. This was confusing for me, and left me wondering (because there are many interpretations of the song based on your “current situation”). I called a friend and had her ask her husband. He basically told me that, this was his way of saying he loved me. After listening to the lyrics over and over even 4years later this is my interpretation:

    The dawn is breaking (its morning)
    A light shining through (sun shining through the window)
    You're barely waking (your still laying next to me)
    And I'm tangled up in you (I just want to lay here and hold you in my arms)
    Yeah

    I'm open, you're closed (I talk and ask questions, you have a wall up)
    Where I follow, you'll go (I want to be with you by your side, all the time)
    I worry I won't see your face (he is afraid of something happening (preventing) him (us)from being happy together)
    Light up again

    Even best fall down sometimes (I have fallen before, and gotten hurt......I am slowly letting my guard down)
    Even the wrong words seem to rhyme the (The wrong words are I LOVE YOU, he is afraid of getting hurt again and is scared to take the risk of saying it so he doubts himself and her over, and over but still finds he is falling in love with her)
    Out of the doubt that fills my mind
    I somehow find, you and I collide

    I'm quiet, you know (I am reserved about my feelings)
    You make a first impression (I was interested in you, wanting to know more about you when I first met you)
    I've found I'm scared to know (he is scared to know that I think of him like he does me, because it means it’s getting serious)
    I'm always on your mind

    Even the best fall down sometimes (I have fallen before and gotten hurt.....I am slowly letting my guard down)
    Even the stars refuse to shine (even though I am wrestling with my emotions)
    Out of the back you fall in time (I keep coming back to you ....no matter how many times I convince myself that I can’t)
    I somehow find, you and I collide

    Don't stop here (let’s keep going and take a chance)
    I've lost my place (because he has been hurt, he has forgotten how it feels to love and be loved)
    I'm close behind (he is close to just letting his guard down and letting her know how much he loves her)

    Even the best fall down sometimes (I am not perfect, but I know what this is)
    Even the wrong words seem to rhyme (I do love you)
    Out of the doubt that fills your mind (even though you and I are doubtful)
    You finally find, you and I collide (we both find that we just fit perfectly together, no matter what obstacles we have both overcome in our past, I LOVE YOU)

    You finally find
    You and I collide
    You finally find
    You and I collide (I LOVE YOU)

  7. redpoetry12
    click a star to vote
    Mar 23rd 2010 !⃝

    for me this song goes...

    in the first stanza..the guy just realized that he is in love with the girl.. could be the girl is his friend..

    the second stanza says that he is open for them to have a relationship but the girl is not into the idea maybe because they are quite the oppposite of one another.. so he said that the girl could be right but he is afraid to let this feeling get away and wont see her this way again (with the love that he has currently for the girl)

    and the chorus is telling the girl that no matter how strong you oppose the feeling or the possible relationship she will still give in..and even if they dont have much in common they can still work it out..

    the third stanza..

    it says that the girl could be right about them and he is carried away with the thought that it will be difficult for them and now he is scared if she is learning to like him

    now on the chorus.. this time he is telling it to himself..

    on the bridge.. he is telling to girl to go on with the feelings she have for him and he is kinda confused now but he is still in love with her and they willl make it work out..

  8. mutterman
    click a star to vote
    Dec 10th 2009 !⃝

    I think it's a song about a unlikely love having now listened to it quite a few times. But I'm going to go with the first thing I thought, the first time I heard this song. I think the singer was in a relationship, but he screwed up big time ("I worry I won't see your face, light up again"). He took the relationship farther than the other person was ready for, maybe? Now he's tryng to apologize, because it wasn't how he wanted things to be.
    The Bridge- "Don't stop here. I lost my place. I'm close behind."- emphasizes this. The first one means don't leave me. "I lost my place" is like "This isn't who I am I just screwed up" and "I'm close behind" means that I'm right here, coming back to show you how I want things to be.
    The chorus supports this as well. The first two lines are saying even the best people sometimes fail, even the worst things sometimes go together, that everybody is only human, and things don't always work out perfect. The next line, either "Out of the back you fall in time" or "Out of the doubt that fills your mind", mean something a little different. The first one means something about "I'm sure you'll undestand eventually" and the second means "I'm sure that once you think about it, you'll realize, we ARE meant to be."
    PS I absolutely love this song

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 25th 2009 !⃝

    The choice of the word collide is an interesting one, because collisions are destructive, and so that gives the song a rather hopeless tone.

    On the other hand, for two people to continuously collide, physically and/or emotionally, they must be constantly in line with each other, moving towards one another as opposed to moving away.

    Listening to the song on it's own, I hear of a guy and a girl who are madly in love with each other, but are coming to the conclusion that they can't make it work because of their differences.

    Watching the video, I see them realizing that they must be together regardless, even if it means their relationship will always be a difficult one.

  10. randommusic
    click a star to vote
    Jan 3rd 2009 !⃝

    The song is basically about an unlikely pairing.
    "The dawn is breaking, a light shining through. You're barely waking and I'm tangled up in you."
    I think this means that the artist sees light in a person. He is so consumed by her and she doesn't have a clue.
    "Well, I'm opened, you're closed. Where I follow, you'll go. I worry I won't see your face light up again."
    I think this means that he's open about his life and she is shy and reserved. Also, he leads her to new places, opening her up. He worries about her happiness and it pains him to not see her smile.
    "Even the best fall down sometimes, even the wrong words seem to rhyme."
    Basically, Day is saying that nobody's perfect. Even though you may idolize a person, (as he idolizes this woman who gives him light and happiness) you soon see that they are just as human as the rest of us, and they do make mistakes.
    When he says "even the wrong words seem to rhyme," he means that even the most unlikely outcomes are possible.
    "Out of the doubt that fills my mind, I somehow find, you and I collide." He means that even though he is doubtful and it is almost impossible, he finds that they are together.

    "I'm quiet you know, you make a first impression. Well, I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind."
    He means that he's quiet and she is outgoing and impressive. He admires her. He's scared to find out that she feels the same way about him.

    "Even the stars refuse to shine."
    He means that even people who shine as bright as the woman described in the song, would like to step out of the spotlight and take a break for awhile.

    "Don't stop here, I've lost my place. I'm close behind."
    He is saying not to give up on him. He may have lost his way, but he's slowly coming back. To me, that means she finally admitted that she returned his feelings for her, but he ran away, scared. However, he's coming back to her accepting both the fact that he loves her and that she actually loves him back.

    "Out of the doubt that fills your mind, you finally find you and I collide."
    This means that the woman character had doubts too, but now after all of this time, they both come to terms with their attraction to one another and they learn to accept it.

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 1st 2008 !⃝

    The "Out of the back you fall in time" mean's that she was once a leader but she has now gone into obsecurity and followed.


    "Even the best fall down sometimes
    Even the wrong words seem to ryhme
    Out of the doubt that fills your mind
    You finally find
    You and I collide"

    I think it means that even how messed up we can be we can still fit together perfectly.

  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 16th 2008 !⃝

    The song "Collide" by really moved me. At first, I thought the message of the song is negative, however, when I tried to listen to it over and over, I found this.
    It is true that the two persons in the poem, of course, a guy and a girl, are completely different. The boy is really attracted to the girl and he likes her from afar. But when the girl finally realizes that she also likes him, the boy fall back a little. Why? It is because he thought that because they are dissimilar, they can'y be together; they are incompatible. Also, the girl shared the same doubts. But at the end of the song, both of them finally find they collide in spite of their differences. They are opposing poles. As a rule, opposing poles attracts, just like the two of them.

  13. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 4th 2008 !⃝

    I think that the song is about a guy and girl that are in a relationship and he liked her at first but the more he gets to know her the more he realizes that they're not right for each other. But she really likes him but he says that soon shell find that they collide meaning don't go together.

  14. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 7th 2008 !⃝

    I remember reading somewhere that this song is based on him falling in love with a married woman. The woman likes him a lot, and just doesn't know whether to break up with her husband. Even though she knows she likes him, she thinks it's a huge thing to do. He's trying to convince her that it will be ok, and he would care for her. But they're not cheating, he's just waiting it out, and trying to help her through it. Like in the line

    "the best fall down sometimes"
    He's saying that sometimes a marriage just doesn't work.

  15. theindependentone
    click a star to vote
    Dec 21st 2007 !⃝

    If I may … I’d like to share my own, very personal interpretation of the song. I fell in love through this song. It is deeply personal to me.

    And, I have always heard it as a duet:

    Him:
    The dawn is breaking
    A light shining through
    You're barely waking
    And I'm tangled up in you
    Yeah

    It's morning … and he has her next to him. Intertwined. And he’s greatly appreciative of the fact that they have this morning together.

    Him:
    I'm open, you're closed
    Where I follow, you'll go
    I worry I won't see your face
    Light up again

    He knows how he feels about her and he’s open about it. When it comes to her, he doesn't know how to be anything else but ... Naked. He's ready to follow this feeling, regardless of the potential impact or circumstances. She’s closed, less willing to risk … her heart, her morals, her sense of what’s right ... Her realistic side.

    They are so synchronous that they both know neither would take the other anywhere that the other wouldn’t want to go. There is an unspoken bond of trust …where I follow, you’ll go … signaling all decisions, all conversations, all actions, all experiences… just (almost magically) seem to be made by the two of them jointly. One would not go where the other would not be comfortable following.

    And if, and when, discomfort arises from one wanting to go where the other doesn’t, or can't, there’s a fear that it will be because this love is hurting one of them more than the other … and will need to cease … and dim the lit face.


    Him: Even the best fall down sometimes
    Even you … the good Catholic girl … the moral one, can fall … for the right wrong reasons

    Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
    Even when we argue, we find a common ground. Even when we speak about the hurtful topics, we find a way to get through them.

    Her: Out of the doubt that fills my mind
    I somehow find, you and I collide

    Despite the insurmountable odds, the self-doubt, all of it … she realizes she can’t fight the fact that this is happening. Quite simply, she realizes that he does exist.


    Him:
    I'm quiet, you know
    You make a first impression

    Her:
    I've found I'm scared to know
    I'm always on your mind

    … she is scared of his intensity. Not afraid of the depth of his love, but afraid of his certainty. He is pulling her in … and she’s fighting it.

    Even the best fall down sometimes
    Even the stars refuse to shine
    Out of the back you fall in time
    I somehow find, you and I collide


    Him: Don't stop here
    “Break.” Fall with me. Be in love with me.

    Her: I've lost my place
    I am ... and I’m terrified

    Him: I'm close behind
    Don’t be afraid to fall. I’m with you. I’m close behind

    Him:
    Even the best fall down sometimes

    Her: Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
    She’s realizing the connection between the two of them is impossible to deny. She knows he’s right.

    Him: Out of the doubt that fills your mind
    You finally find, you and I collide
    Even though all the parameters of this relationship are wrong, even though they are not free to belong to each other, their souls are already way ahead of their minds and hearts.

    You finally find
    You and I collide
    You finally find
    You and I collide

    This, to me, is about a forbidden love. A love that is as incredibly right as it is remarkably wrong. A collision of hearts… and minds…and souls. A perfect love at a very imperfect time. A love that is so undeniable that it’s hard to know where one person ends and the other begins.
    One breathes, the other exhales.

    It’s about two individuals who, before ever meeting, always knew…or at the very least hoped …that the other existed. Then the find each other – and their belief is confirmed.

    It is about a man … who fell in love with a woman … who fell in love right back.

    Regardless of their current life situations … they will always find “You and I Collide”.

    At last.




More Howie Day songs »


 


Latest Articles

 


Submit Your Interpretation

[ want a different song? ]